Square Root Day 3/3/09

That is right, today 3/3/09 is square root day. This only happens nine times in each century, so happy holiday math junkies. The last one was 2/2/04 and the next will be 4/4/16 so mark your calendar. There have been Facebook groups set up and we are sure there is some kind of party at MIT and Cal Poly Tech. There are no decorations but maybe the can layout ribs in the square root symbol cut vegetables into squares and eat foods in groups of three. So here is you math lesson in honor of the day let us get in the spirit. The square of any positive or negative number is positive, and the square of 0 is 0. Therefore, no negative number can have a real square root. The Rhind Mathematical Papyrusis a copy from 1650 BC of an even earlier work and shows us how the Egyptians extracted square roots. This is the first known instance of the square root and the beginning of the holiday we celebrate today.